Chapter 83
Secretary Gao read it from beginning to end again and confirmed, “This doesn’t need any changes; it’s already very good. I see no issues.”
The director had already read it and held the same opinion.
Secretary Gao said, “Tell the correspondent to send it to the county right now. Qiao Wei managed to rush this draft out so quickly; we cannot let the young comrade’s efforts go to waste. Send it now! We must be earlier than Qingshan Town!”
“Alright! I guarantee it will be earlier than theirs!”
The director took the draft and went to make arrangements.
Riding a bicycle from Xiahekou Town to Yongming County takes a little over an hour if slow, and forty minutes if fast.
Secretary Gao kept an eye on the time. An hour and a half later, he called Secretary Meng of Yongming County to report on work and mentioned this matter.
Secretary Meng was also quite surprised, “So fast?”
Secretary Gao said, “How could I dare to neglect your instructions? Of course, we must respond actively. Our Comrade Qiao Wei stayed up all night to rush this draft.”
Secretary Meng said, “It’s a good thing for young comrades to have a positive attitude. But you also need to keep a check on things. I’m just afraid that being too young, they might blindly pursue speed at the expense of quality, focusing on the beginning but neglecting the end.”
“You are right. I would definitely keep a check on other young people to ensure they don’t act rashly,” Secretary Gao said. “But although Comrade Qiao Wei is young, she is truly a steady and reliable comrade. She grasps both efficiency and quality.”
“Oh?” Secretary Meng became interested. “Good, then I’ll have to take a good look at it.”
Secretary Gao checked his watch. “Our correspondent set off an hour and a half ago; they should be arriving about now.”
After hanging up the phone, Secretary Meng called his secretary, “Go and see if the communication draft from Xiahekou Town has been delivered.”
The secretary was surprised, “The meeting only just finished yesterday.”
How could it possibly be delivered today?
Secretary Meng said, “Go check.”
The secretary went suspiciously and returned in astonishment, “It really was delivered.”
Secretary Meng laughed, “Young people, full of energy.”
The secretary also laughed, “That Qiao Wei? Having just won an award, it’s inevitable she’d be full of adrenaline.”
Secretary Meng thought the same thing.
But after he finished reading it, he didn’t think so anymore. Like Secretary Gao, he read it twice before putting it down.
“How is it?” the secretary asked. “Still too rushed, right?”
Secretary Meng shook his head and handed it to him, “Read it yourself.”
The secretary took it with a smile, finished reading, and couldn’t close his mouth in surprise, “This…”
Secretary Meng tapped his knuckles on the desk and asked, “When will the Propaganda Section’s draft be ready?”
“It’s being written.”
“No need.” Secretary Meng was well aware of the skill level of the people in his own county’s Propaganda Section, so he made a decision. “Send this one from Xiahekou to the City Newspaper; it will be her.”
The secretary asked, “Are we not waiting for Qingshan Town?”
The pen-pusher from Qingshan Town won second prize in the city this time; he has some skill and had previously won a first prize.
“No need to wait,” Secretary Gao said. “It won’t surpass hers.”
The secretary admitted, “That’s true.”
In the end, the draft by Qiao Wei, the broadcaster from Xiahekou Town, was finalized.
In this era, newspaper offices were perhaps the most efficient units; the news industry was different, after all.
A day later, the City Newspaper had already published it. The newspapers had already been distributed to each county.
The town level would have to wait another day to receive them.
At this time, the communication draft from Qingshan Town was delivered.
The pen-pusher from Qingshan Town had pedaled his bicycle over to deliver it personally. He wanted to communicate directly with the section chief of the County Propaganda Committee; if there were any issues with this draft, he could change it on the spot.
To take the lead! To win over that woman!
Who would have known, the section chief of the County Propaganda Committee looked at the draft and nodded happily, “Not bad, we’ll keep it for future use.”
The Qingshan Town pen-pusher: “?”
The Propaganda Section chief told him, “That Comrade Qiao Wei from Xiahekou Town, her draft has already been submitted to the city.”
The pen-pusher was stunned, “When?”
“Yesterday. It came in yesterday morning, and the secretary immediately ordered it to be sent to the city. We don’t need to rush our own; we can write it slowly and use it next time.”
They weren’t in a hurry, but the Qingshan Town pen-pusher was anxious, “Why didn’t you wait for me! How could you just use hers without comparing it first!”
“Don’t get excited, young man,” the section chief said. “Victory and defeat are common occurrences for a soldier.”
“This is unfair!” The pen-pusher waved his arms, exasperated, “If both drafts had been compared and hers were chosen, I would accept it. But it wasn’t compared or screened at all; they used hers without even seeing my draft! I don’t accept this!”
Intellectuals always have a bit of mental instability. The section chief had a headache. Everyone looked over one after another.
Some people came over to mediate and smooth things over. But the pen-pusher was convinced in his heart that this was unfair, and he said indignantly, “Is there some unspeakable secret behind this?”
From the moment he saw that woman the day before yesterday, he felt she wasn’t a decent person. What decent person looks that good? Like a vixen.
When he said that, the section chief felt he was being unfairly maligned and defended himself, “It wasn’t approved by me; it was approved by the leadership.”
The pen-pusher asked angrily, “Which leader?”
“Didn’t I just tell you? The Secretary!”
Hearing it was the Secretary, the pen-pusher faltered. The power of a county secretary is so great that they are equivalent to the local emperor of the county. Most people have a sense of “fear” in their hearts toward officials.
At this moment, someone walked in and shouted, “The newspaper is here, the newspaper is here!”
The Propaganda Section had been told yesterday that the leadership had already approved the submission of the communication draft from Qiao Wei of Xiahekou Town. None of them had seen that draft; it was just a coincidence that the correspondent from Xiahekou Town had just delivered it, the Propaganda Section chief said to wait and look at it later, and just as he finished speaking, the secretary came and took it away directly. The section chief hadn’t seen it either. Everyone was dying of curiosity, waiting to read the newspaper.
As soon as they heard the newspaper had arrived, everyone rushed over. The pen-pusher from Qingshan Town was still angry and strode over, “Let me see it first!”
He was imposing, looking like he was about to fight someone. Everyone yielded to him and let him see it first.
The pen-pusher unfolded the newspaper with an angry expression, found the article, and began to read. A short while later, his expression changed. From surprise to astonishment to shock.
“How is it written?” “How does it compare to yours?” Others, who loved to watch the excitement, instigated maliciously, “If it’s not as good as yours, you can’t back down; go to the leadership and make a scene! You are the number one pen-pusher in Qingshan Town; everyone knows you, you must demand an explanation!”
Others glanced at this person and quietly moved slightly away. However, this pen-pusher with a severe case of literary pretentiousness was not provoked. On the contrary, his expression was very ugly.
Someone was scratching their head, “Are you done reading? How is it written, exactly?”
The pen-pusher’s face turned pale, and he suddenly folded the newspaper, shoved it into that person’s arms, turned around, and left.
“What a psycho.” Everyone looked at each other.
“Quick, take a look at what it says.” Immediately, everyone’s interest was pulled back to the newspaper. They were all Propaganda Section staff, all pen-pushers. Literary people tend to look down on each other, and they all wanted to see what Qiao Wei from Xiahekou had written this time.
“I’ll read it.” The person holding the newspaper began to read with great emotion.
As he read with emotion, the office gradually became quiet. They gradually understood why the pen-pusher had suddenly backed down.
“This… is truly beautiful…” someone sighed. The future described by Comrade Qiao Wei was so inspiring and desirable.
Her writing style was unquestionable, but what was even more powerful than her writing style was the emotion overflowing between the lines.
Besides narrating, words can express human emotions even more. She built the text with full emotion, and as it was read aloud, it deconstructed and spread, permeating the office desks, windowsills, and people’s hearts.
At this moment, everyone understood why the leadership didn’t need to wait for the Qingshan Town communication draft and directly approved this one.
It was as if the beautiful future could be seen. Her confident gaze seemed to be able to see it too. Her emotions infected everyone; no one did not yearn for that beautiful future, no one did not believe in that beautiful future.
Qiao Wei actually didn’t have much career ambition. In her previous life, she had some. But after experiencing the long-term torment of illness, one’s desires become just wanting to not be in pain. Not being in pain is happiness on earth. Because in the later stages, the pain couldn’t even be suppressed by morphine, and she even wanted to die. Moreover, having lost the ability to take care of herself, she couldn’t even die, living every day in the pitying eyes of others.
In this life, everything she took over almost realized the life she had dreamed of but could not obtain in her previous life. Qiao Wei was very satisfied with her current life. A handsome husband, obedient children, a down-to-earth courtyard, a retirement-like job…
She didn’t have any intention of intentionally showing off or grabbing credit. However, having been squeezed by capital in the 996 work culture of the future, she had long been accustomed to high efficiency, as if it were carved into her bones. It was just a communication draft. If you gave her a keyboard, she could churn out three or four in one night. It was the fountain pen that dragged down her speed. Compared to her colleagues and peers, Qiao Wei was truly delivering a dimension-reduction strike.
That same day, Yan Lei brought back two pairs of autumn/winter trousers, an autumn/winter women’s military-style jacket, and some thick military-green fabric for autumn/winter use.
Qiao Wei brought them to work today and showed them to Lu Manman, “I plan to make a Lenin suit.”
Lu Manman said, “I want to make one too!”
She even accompanied her to the tailor shop, and they measured their sizes together, waiting for her to find the fabric later.
Qiao Wei asked her if she needed her to have Yan Lei find her some fabric, but the daughter of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative director waved her hand, “No need. There’s nothing my dad can’t get.”
In this era, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was very impressive. The most impressive people in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative were the purchasing agents. They often traveled on business, getting things from all over the country, relying on their own abilities to get things. In an era of material scarcity, those without ability couldn’t get anything.
Lu Manman was even carrying a military satchel now. Qiao Wei had checked it; it was authentic military issue. She really hadn’t been bragging. It wasn’t like some fashion-seeking youths in the county who couldn’t get one, so they found green fabric of the same color and sewed one themselves. It only looked okay from a distance. When you looked up close, what kind of texture was that? It was a fake.
When Qiao Wei got home, she urged Yan Lei again to help Lu Manman find a partner. “Let me tell you what kind she needs,” Qiao Wei said. “Good-looking face, pectoral muscles, and abdominal muscles.”
This era was so conservative; Lu Manman was already a very bold girl, but she only dared to say she wanted someone good-looking. She would definitely be too embarrassed to say she wanted someone with abdominal muscles. She might not have even seen a man’s abdominal muscles before.
It didn’t matter; she had her Sister Wei to make requests for her. Calling her “Sister” couldn’t be in vain, and all those snacks couldn’t be eaten for nothing.
The next day, the newspaper arrived. Qiao Wei once again made everyone look at her with new eyes.
Lu Manman read it several times and asked repeatedly, “How can you write so well, how can you write so well.”
Lu Tianming just laughed, “Stop asking; it’s useless to ask. This can’t be learned.”
Writing a conventional draft is a skill that can be acquired through study and training. But writing with emotion overflowing between the lines, such strong appeal, that is a talent. Some people are just born to do this.
The newspaper arrived in the morning, and the transfer letter from the county came in the afternoon.
Secretary Gao called Qiao Wei to his office and informed her, “You have been seconded to the County Party Committee.”
“You can ride that 26-inch women’s bicycle. Starting tomorrow, you will work at the County Party Committee.”
Qiao Wei, “Huh?”!
